Megan Angelina Webbley, 31, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, September 29. Specifically, she died of an overdose, finally losing her battle with addiction. She was in Manchester, N.H., seeking treatment for her addiction. We have no clear picture of what went wrong. Megan leaves behind her mother, Dorothy Provenzano, of Boca Raton, Fla.; her father, Edwin Webbley, of Middlebury, Vt.; and her brother, Michael Henderson, of Los Angeles, Calif.; as well as many loving cousins, aunts and uncles. She also left behind four beautiful children who were collectively the light of her dark life.
Though shadowed by opiate addiction, Megan enjoyed a big smile and an infectious laugh. She loved all kinds of music, dancing and doing her makeup. Empathetic in the extreme, she was the underdog’s biggest advocate. And against all circumstances, when she could be, she was a loving, gentle and doting mother. Just last year, she spent a few hours in the pool with all four kids (the youngest has since been adopted by a loving family), and it was a rollicking, madcap outing featuring a waterslide and peals of laughter. It was at that point when she was the happiest we had seen her in years.
Megan grew up in St. Albans and Georgia, Vt., participating in dance and swimming. She proved to be an adventuresome reader and a fearless jumper off cliffs. But on July 1, 2005, she was once again at a cliff on Eagle Bay in Burlington. I was sitting at my desk on the first day of a new job, and a Vermont State Policeman called to tell me to drive to the emergency room at the University of Vermont Medical Center. I was told that she had been pushed off the cliffs and hit the rocks below … with her face. Having been rescued by a man in a kayak and EMTs, she was being stitched up, and her jaw was wired shut. They suspected a TBI, but when they prescribed her liberal doses of opiates, she lost control of her life. She would be in and out of rehab — and jail — for the next 14 years.
To editorialize, I am hoping that the Department for Children and Families rethinks its mission to be the punisher of addicted mothers, the separator of families and the arbiter of children’s futures, and instead embrace a mission of enhanced rehabilitation. We, as a state, are overwhelmed by addiction. We have almost nowhere to turn. I encourage enhanced funding for treatment in general and using DCF as a gateway for mothers with addiction to get help. Because, as one would guess, once the mother is separated from her children, desperation sets in, even with the brightest and most determined of mothers — and Megan Angelina Webbley was that bright and determined mother … with a fatal disease and a dearth of treatment options.
—Submitted by Megan’s father
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This article appears in Oct 2-8, 2019.
I am so sorry for your loss. Sending many prayers to you and your family.
May you rest in peace and may God help the family to have peace. I’m so sorry!
I’m happy to read that her children are being adopted and not put in foster care! I pray for them! They are the ones to protect!!!
I am so sorry for your loss :'(
There is a saying I have heard several times in recovery – 1 addict dies for another to live
I can’t pretend to know what your family is going threw, but all I can say is thank you to your beautiful daughter for another day to live! <3
Wow I’m so sorry for your loss. This is me I am an addict who has been fighting n fighting dss for my kids back. I was clean ten months got them back n relapsed one time n they took them again and now I might lose them for good and I’m doing everything they want me to do classes programs steady employment n housing and doctors n mental health bc they want me to be a clean super mom with super powers n I am just that but it’s not good enough for them I wish I knew where to turn or who to talk to bc I’m so worried the outcome of my court date Monday which determines if they take my rights n adoubt my kids out or let me keep fighting which I will until my last breathe. My babies are my world and I’m nothing without them I need them just as much as they need me. I wish someone would really look into my case bc they r litteraly killing me slowly n not helping me any to keep my family relaspe is a part of recovery but when dss makes it out like Im a monster for that one relaspe n took my babies I hit rock bottom n almost died a few times till my counselor stayed on top of me. I pray they do something bout this horrible system we have God bless you.
240 a day to alcohol, 120 to overdose. None of this gets beet without honesty. There was a time when young men were dying of cancer because families were too consumed by shame to say AIDS. That community learned in a hurry that silence = death. We must do the same. Well done to this grieving dad to think about other families in the wake of this crisis. We can do better than we we do and honesty like this is part of the solution.
Im so very sorry the loss of your beautiful daughter.
Its a struggle that unless youve walked in the shoes of an addict or the parent of one its impossible to truly understand.
As the mother of a recovering addict that has lost her son I know how hard she tries over and over and over to stay sober and do the right thing, meetings, work, staying positive, everyday is a battle of beating herself up mentally.
She has overdosed 4 times ( that she has told me about) but I still live in fear everyday for that phone call
My heart breaks for you her children and everyone that was lucky enough to know this beautiful young woman.
May God be with you all
Thank you Mr. Webbley for sharing. I met Meghan briefly on Easter Sunday 2019 in Brattleboro, and she was an amazing young woman. I know one thing she loved you, her father. My deepest condolences to you and your family.
Sincerely
Sara Moses
Megan and I met many many years ago while we were both tenants of the State of Vermont. No matter what challenges she herself was facing in the moment, she was very much a “people person”, always thinking of those around her. The world is definately a bit darker without her bright light shining.
Condolences to the children and family. Heartbreaking to hear of yet another person lost to addiction. Pain medication is needed when there is an injury, and I have a hard time blaming all doctors as a general, but if only there were a way to monitor patients that were put on pain meds more closely to identify the problem before it became a problem. As I wish, there was a way to keep children with there parents while they seek treatment safely. I don’t know what the answer is! I wish I did! Horrific to think of these children alone. The story speaks of only one of the children being adopted; please tell me all of these children are with someone…please!! They have endured enough!